Monday, May 18, 2009

Summer Chicken Pasta:

HEB pre seasoned fajita chicken breasts
bag swirl garden noodles
avocado-cut into small pieces
sliced green onion
sliced black olives
chopped cucumber
crumbled feta cheese (whole container)
half finely diced bell pepper
greek vinergerette dressing
olive oil

bake chicken as directed and chop into pieces. cook pasta let cool with olive oil. toss all together.
best served cold.

Pizza Spaghetti:

Take 1 bag of pepperoni (you can add the whole bag or less)
diced green bell pepper
diced onion
minced garlic
can of sliced black olives
can of chopped mushrooms
jimmy deal style breakfast sausage
diced smoked link sausage
jar of spaghetti sauce
Spaghetti noodles

Cook pasta. Mean while cook breakfast sausage and link sausage and cook, then and veggies (onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic, basil). Mix all together with sauce. Top spaghetti with sauce, mozzarella cheese, olives. You can add all of these items or delete some....whatever you like on pizza.

Crisp apple walnut Salad:

Torn Romaine lettuce
Diced gala apples
Candied glazed walnuts
Craisins
Crumbled Feta Cheese
Girards Light Champaign Dressing
Toss and eat! YUM!

Friday, May 8, 2009

Truffle cake with chocolate glaze


This was made for me by my friend Sarah and then I made it too...MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. It comes from The Whimsical Bakehouse book and it is SOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDD! Please ignore the fingermarks in the glaze ;)

Here goes:

Cake ingredients:
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
6 ounces semisweet chocolate
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
5 large eggs
1/2 C sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C sugar
1/3 C light corn syrup

Directions:
1)Grease and flour one 9x2 inch round pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2)Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
3) Combine in a heatproof bowl placed over hot water:
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
6 ounces semisweet chocolate
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
4)Stir until melted, then cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
5)In the bowl of an electric mixer at high speed, use a whisk attachment to beat:
5 large eggs
1/2 C sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
6)Continue beating until triple in volume and the batter forms a ribbon when the beaters are lifted.
7)Meanwhile in a saucepan, heat to a full boil:
1/2 C sugar
1/3 C light corn syrup
8) Remove from heat and slowly beat the hot syrup into the eggs with the mixer at low speed.
9)Beat at medium speed until the batter reaches the top of the bowl, about 8 minutes, then decrease the speed to low and beat in half of the chocolate mixture.
10)Before it is fully incorporated take off the whisk attachment and fold in the remaining chocolate by hand.
11)Pour the batter into the pan and place pan in a larger pan.
12)Fill larger pan halfway with hot water.
13)Bake for 40 minutes. The cake will look set.
14) Cool the cake on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a cake round. Cool completely before glazing.

Glaze Ingredients:
3 lbs semisweet chocolate, in small pieces
1 quart heavy cream
10 ounces (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 C light corn syrup

(This is enough glaze for 4 cakes so I have put the breakdown that Sarah has written on the recipe)
1/2 batch:
Chocolate - 1.5 lbs
Cream - 1 pint (2 C)
Butter - 5 Tbsp
Corn Syrup - 1/4 C (4 Tbsp)

1/4 batch:
Chocolate - 12 oz.
Cream - 1/2 pint (1 C)
Butter - 2 Tbsp and 1.5 tsp
Corn Syrup - 1/8 C (2 Tbsp)

1)melt the chocolate with a double boiler setup
2)in a saucepan warm cream, butter, and syrup to just before boiling point.
3)Slowly pour sauce into the chocolate whisking until incorporated.

You can use the icing immediately or cool and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.